Differences Between Us :: Arshi FF [COMPLETED]

"Darvaaza kholo, moorkhon!" (Open the door, fools!)

A servant rushed to open the door.

"Maaf kijiye, maalkin." (Forgive me, mistress.)

"Vaapas kaam pe jaao! Baacheet mein vakt zaaya mat karo!" (Go back to work! Don't watse time speaking!)

The servant nodded, scared of his mistress' severe tone.

"Suno!" (Listen!)

"Ji, maalkin?" (Yes, mistress.)

"Tumhaare maalik kahaan hain?" (Where is your master?)

"Study mein, maalkin!" (In the study, mistress.)

"Achha. Moorkh! Khare-khare munh kya dekh rahe ho? Jaao, apna kaam karo!" (Fine. Fool! Why are you still standing here? Go, do your work!)

The woman snapped. She threw a dripping umbrella and coat at the maid who had come to stand beside her, without even bothering to look at her. She ran up the stairs to her husband's study, clutching her wet Dartmouth green chiffon saree in excitement. She entered the room panting.

"Suniye!" she squealed. (Listen!)

The man barely looked up from his paperwork. "Kya hai? Itna kyun chilla rahi ho? Aaj to kuchh ziaada hi gussa nikaal rahi thi Gopi par. Maajra kya hai?" (What is it? Why are you shouting so? Today you are venting too much anger on Gopi. What's the matter?)

She walked up to the desk highly flustered and slammed her palms on the beech wood surface. "Aap to kuchh karenge nahin, na? Issi liye! Aapko apni betiyon ki zaraa sib hi fikar hai ke nahin? Shaadi ki umr ghat rahi hai, au baap ghar par maze se baitha hai!" (You won't do anything, will you? That's why! Do you even care for your daughters? They're of marriageable age, and their father is sitting enjoyably at home!)

"Maze se?" he finally raised his gaze to his wife who had turned red in anger. "Madam! Agar main ghar par baithe business ko nahin sambhaal raha hota, to aakpe saare kharche-" (Enjoyably? Madam! If I had not been looking after the business from home, how do you think your expenses-)

"Ab bas bhi kijye aur hamaari baat suniye!" (Stop now, and listen to me!)

"Haan, ab to sach karva hi hoga!" (Yeah, the truth is bitter.)

"Bas! Sar mein dard ho raha hain. Aap suneinge ke nahin?" (Enough! My head is aching. Will you listen?)

"Sunaaiye." (Tell me.)

Her expression changed at his words. She had that maniac look that always succeeded to scare him because that meant she had an idea. And his wife's ideas were usually disastrous...

"Voh aagaya hai!" (He has come!)

"Kaun agaya hai?" (Who has come?)

"Arrey! Aap itna bhi nahin samajhte? Vahi!" (Don't you understand? He!)

"Vahi, kaun?" (Who's he?)

Garima Gupta sat in the chair opposite to her husband in exasperation. She had indeed married a foolish man!

"Aapka hone vaala daamaad!" (Your son-in-law-to-be!)

"Kya? Hamaari ek beti ne apne liye ladka bhi chun liya hai?" (What? One of our daughters has chosen a boy for herself?)

She smacked her head with her hand, teeth clenched. "He Raam! Maine chuna hai!" (God! I have!)

Shashi sighed with a smile and went back to his accounts. "Ab kiska dimaag khaane ka iraada hai?" (Now, who do you want to torture?)

Garima rolled her eyes with a long, exasperated sigh and began talking, deciding to ignore her husband's cynical comments.

"Aapko pata hai? Mrs Chatterjee keh rahi thi Shaantivan kal hi kharida gaya! Voh gayi thi vahaan, un logon se milne, aur humein sab kuchh bataaya. Suna hai, Dilli ke kissi ameer khaandaan ke bete ne khareed liya Shaantivan ko. Mrs Chatterjee keh rahi thi ladka dekhne mein bada hi sundar hai, paise vaala hai, kunwaara hai, khud ki khaandaani company hai, videsh mein padha hai. Hamaari betiyon ke liye achha hoga, na?" (Do you know? Mrs Chatterjee was saying that Shaantivan has been bought! She had been there, she met them, and told us. I heard a rich man from Delhi has bought it. Mrs Chatterjee was saying the boy is handsome, rich, single, they have their own family business, he has studied abroad. He'll be nice for our daughters, won't he?)

"Achha? Voh interested hai, hamaari betiyon mein?" (Really? He's interested in our daughters?)

"Interested? Aapki akal thikaane to hai? Arrey, usse pyaar hojayega humaari ek ladki se! Par aisa hone ke liye, aapko usse milne jaana padega, khaane pe bulaana padega, hain na?" (Interested? Have you lost your mind? He will fall in love with one of our daughters! But for this to happen, you should go meet him, invite him for dinner, right?)

"Mujhe shaayad fursat na mile, tumhi ladkiyon ko leke jaao. Aur vaise bhi, tum to itni khoobsoorat ho, ke bechaara shaayad tumko hi chun lega." (I may not get time, take the girls there yourself. Besides, you're so beautiful, he might chose you, poor him.)

Garima blushed furiously at her husband's compliment. "Suniye! Aapko jaana hi padega usse milne! Mere liya na sahi, apni betiyon ke liye." (Listen! You have to go meet him! If not for me, at least for your daughters.)

"Vaise, naam kya hai uska?" (By the way, what's his name?)

"Akash, Akash Dogra."

"Hmm... Tumhaare haathon ek letter bhejounga Mr Dogra ko, unhein yeh bataane ke liye ke voh humaari teenon betiyon mein se kissi ko bhi chun sakte hain. Par shaayad mujhe Titaliya ke liye kuchh khaas kehna padega..." (Hmm... I'll send him a letter through you to tell him he can choose any of the three of our girls. But maybe I should put in a special word for Titaliya...)

"Aapki laadli mein aisi kiya baat hai?" Garima contested hotly. "Aap hamesha uski hi tarafdaari kyun karte hain?" (What's there in your dear daughter? You're always praising her, why?)

"Arrey hamaari titaliya mein to alag baat hai! Kam se kam voh to tumhaari tarah moorkh nahin!" (My Titaliya is different! At least she is not as empty-headed as you!)

Garima stood up, furious. Her husband had dared to insult her with the word she used to call her servants!

"Aapki itni himmat?" (How dare you?)

Shashi Gupta merely smiled at her and she ground her teeth, giving him a death glare. Before she noisily left the study, claiming her head was aching.

***

"Jiji! Di! You won't believe main kya sunkar aayi hoon!" (...You won't believed how I have just heard!)

One of the girls looked up from the cloth she was adorning with emdroidery but the other paid no heed, her beautiful hazel eyes riveted on the book before her.

"Kya hua, La?" (What happened, La?)

Lavanya kneel in front of her sisters grinning from ear to ear. "Aap suneingi, to paagal ho jaayengi! Di! Tum sun rahi ho na?" (You'll ggo mad if you hear it! Di! Are you listening?)

She got no reaction from her sister who kept devouring her novel hungrily.

"Tu jaanti hai na, La? Jab yeh padhna shuru karti hai, to isse rokna kitna mushkil hota hai?" (You know how she is when she's reading, La, right? It's impossible to stop her.)

Lavanya glanced at her oldest sister and placed a finger on her lips, gesturing her to stay silent. Then, she stealthily raised her hand to her book and snatched it from her sister's hands.

"Lavanya!" the girl shouted, her concentration abruptly broken because of her sister. "I just reached the climax. Give it back, stupid!"

The youngest sister closed the book insolently, without bothering about putting the bookmark in place, obtaining a loud snarl-like sound from her bookworm sister. She hid the book behind her and crossed her arms.

"Meri baat suno, phir milega." (Listen to me, then I'll return it.)

"Lavanya!"

"Chamkeeli!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"I won't until you don't listen to me!"

Khushi crossed her arms too, fuming. "Fine! Jaldi bataao!" (Fine! Be quick!)

"Mom was telling Dad, pados mein ek ladka aaya hai!" (... there's a new boy who has come in the neighbourhood!

"You're finished, La?" Khushi asked, rolling her eyes.

"You're not interested?"

"No! Now give me my book."

Payal looked at her two siblings desperately. Would there ever be a day when Khushi and Lavanya would stop these petty fights.

"Bas karo tum dono! La, Khushi ko apna book vaapas do!" (Stop, both of you! La, return Khushi her book!)

Lavanya handed Khushi her book with a defeated expression. "How come you guys are so not interested?"

"La! Yeh sab... Tu nahin samjhegi." (La! All this... You won't understand.)

"Kaise smajhegi, Jiji? Samajhne ke liye dimaag ki zaroorat hoti hai, aur iss jhalli ke paas to yeh hain nahin!" (How will she, Jiji? For that you need brains, which this stupid does not have!)

"Shut up! Chamkeeli!"

"Jhalli!"

"Bas bhi karo ab!" (Stop it now!)

"I hope ke voh mujhe chune..." Lavanya thought aloud, dreamily. She could already see herself as the mistress of Shaantivan. She had been there once and she knew it was a really grand residence. (I hope he chooses me...)

***

Garima banged the dishes loudly on the table to show her anger. Shashi looked at his middle daughter in amusement. Khushi stared back in confusion. What had happened?

"Khaane par itna kyun naaraaz horahi ho?" (Why are you so angry on the food?)

The middle-aged woman glared at her husband.

"Kya hua, Amma?" (What happened, Amma?)

She shrugged Payal's hand off her shoulder.

"Baat mat kar mujhse!" she stormed back into the kitchen to bring a curry. The girls looked at each other awkwardly. (Don't talk to me!)

"Achha khaasa ladka mil atha, aur ek yeh hain, ke baat badhaana nahin chaahte," the mother grumbled when she came back. (I had found such a nice boy, and he refuses to take things further.)

They understood at once what the matter was. Lavanya had told them all about their parent's argument. Khushi smiled and put her arms around her mother.

"Amma! Chhodiye na! Vaise bhi moholle mein kitni saari shaadiyan hone ko hain ane vaale do-teen mahinon mein. Hum unse vahaan mil lenge. Aur mandir mein to aana-jaana hoga hi, tyohaaron ke liye. Aur Chatterjee Aunty unhein jaanti hain, voh bhi to milva sakti hain!" (Amma! Leave it! Besides, with all these weddings which will be taking place in the coming months, we'll meet them. And in the mandir too, for the festivals. And Chatterjee Aunty knows him, she'll introduce us!)

"Bada pyaar karti hain voh meri betiyon se jo aisa karegi? Uski apni beti nahin hai kya?" (As if she loves my daughters too much? Doesn't she have her own?)

Shashi chuckled.